An increasing number of FMCG companies are now offering varied and flexible benefits packages as a means of attracting and retaining great talent. In this year’s FMCG Salary Survey, we identified a marked change in benefits packages offered within the sector from as recently as two or three years ago.

The following major trends were identified:

Packages that include health care for family members as well as individuals,sabbaticals, flexible working for families and life insurance are becoming the norm. Less than a decade ago, these benefits would have been considered exceptional and rare to find – today they are included as part of a standard remuneration package for a large proportion of companies within the sector.

Flexible benefits packages – where employees get to vary their own remuneration packages to suit personal needs – are also becoming mainstream. This “pick n’ mix” style solution often includes lifestyle benefits such as gym membership, cycle to work schemes, transport subsidies, on-site crèches, sabbaticals, corporate-funded training and more.

With flexible benefit schemes, employees have the choice to retain their existing salary and simply vary the levels of benefits within a specified allowance, or adjust their salary up or down by taking fewer or more benefits respectively, depending on what is available to them. While organisations have, for some time, allowed a limited form of flexibility for just one or two benefits, it is only recently that comprehensive flexible benefit schemes have started to become more common.